Apparatus and method for controlling the energy usage of an appliance

ABSTRACT

A system and method for controlling an appliance with respect to the appliance&#39;s energy usage, in which a signal relating to the energy used by the appliance is received, and a determination of whether to continue or interrupt a cycle of operation being conducted by the appliance is made based at least on part upon the receipt of the signal.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Home appliances use energy to perform cycles of operation, and users areincreasingly interested in energy efficient home appliances that reducethe amount of energy an appliance uses to decrease energy costs.Enabling the user to manage energy use in appliances benefits not onlythe user, but also the utility suppliers who must respond to peakdemands with minimal disruption to the supply. Previous energymanagement solutions enable users to select more energy efficientcycles, to delay appliance use until energy cost or demand is low, andto shut down or pause an appliance cycle in progress if energycost/demand becomes high.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the invention relates to a method of controlling anappliance while running a cycle of operation, the method comprisingreceiving a signal including at least one of an energy usage reductionrequest and energy cost data, in response to the signal, determining arecovery cost for the appliance, which is the energy cost ofinterrupting the cycle of operation and completing the cycle ofoperation at a later time, determining a continued operation cost forthe appliance, which is the energy cost of continuing the cycle ofoperation without interruption, comparing the recovery cost to thecontinued operation cost, and when the recovery cost is less than thecontinued operation cost, interrupting the cycle of operation.

In another aspect, the invention relates to an appliance configured toperform a cycle of operation, the appliance comprising a treatingchamber for receiving an article for treatment according to the cycle ofoperation and a controller configured to implement the cycle ofoperation on the article in the treating chamber. The controllercomprises a non-transitory storage medium, communication software in thenon-transitory storage medium configured to effect communication betweenthe controller and an external network, and control software in thenon-transitory storage medium configured to execute the cycle ofoperation. While the control software executes the cycle of operationand when the communication software receives a signal including at leastone of an energy usage reduction request and energy cost data, thecontroller will determine a recovery cost for the appliance, which isthe cost of interrupting the cycle of operation and completing the cycleof operation at a later time, determine a continued operation cost forthe appliance, which is the cost of continuing the cycle of operationwithout interruption, and compare the recovery cost to the continuedoperation cost. When the recovery cost is less than the continuedoperation cost, the controller will cause the control software tointerrupt the cycle of operation on the article in the treating chamber.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a system for controlling an applianceaccording to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a controller of the appliance of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting a first embodiment of a method ofcontrolling an appliance during a cycle of operation being performed bythe appliance.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting a second embodiment of a method ofcontrolling an appliance.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting a third embodiment of a method ofcontrolling an appliance during a cycle of operation being performed bythe appliance.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting a fourth embodiment of a method ofcontrolling an appliance during a cycle of operation being performed bythe appliance.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting a fifth embodiment of a method ofcontrolling an appliance during a cycle of operation being performed bythe appliance.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a system 10 according to one embodiment ofthe invention. The system 10 includes at least one appliance 12 having areceiver 14 in communication with a remote device 16 via at least onecommunication network 18, such as the Internet. Optionally, theappliance 12 can be part of a home network or home area network (HAN) 20for communication with other devices (not shown) within a home. A router22 can be provided for forwarding data between the appliance 12 and thecommunication network 18. A user display 24 in a mobile device (asillustrated), or the receiver 14, or elsewhere on the appliance can alsobe provided for showing system information to a user about aspects ofthe system 10.

The appliance 12, illustrated herein as a dishwasher, of the system 10may be a home or domestic appliance that performs a particular job in ahome, including those relating to cleaning, cooking, or foodpreservation. The home appliance 12 may include a housing 26 at leastpartially defining a treating chamber (not shown) and having an openface selectively closed by a cover, shown herein as a door 28, forproviding access to the treating chamber. The treating chamber canreceive one or more article(s), and the appliance 12 may treat thearticle(s) according to a useful cycle of operation. For example, in thecase of a dishwasher, the treating chamber can receive one or moredish(es), and the dishwasher can perform a cleaning system on thedish(es) in the treating chamber. While the appliance 12 is illustratedherein as a dishwasher, other types of appliances, including, but notlimited to a refrigerator, a freezer, a range, a stove, an oven, acooktop, a clothes washing machine, or a clothes dryer may be used withthe system 10. All of these examples of home appliances can receive oneor more article(s), and can perform a useful cycle of operation on thearticle(s). Other examples of appliance types typically found within ahome and which may be used with the system include an air conditioner, awater heater, and a pool pump.

While only one appliance 12 is shown in FIG. 1, it should be understoodthat the system 10 can include more than one appliance 12. Theappliances 12 can be located within a single home or at a commonlocation, and some or all may be part of the HAN 20.

The receiver 14 can be used to connect the appliance 12 to the HAN 20,and may be a separate or an external device or it may be carried by orbuilt into the appliance 12. The receiver 14 can communicate with theappliance by a wireless or wired connection. The receiver 14 isassociated with the appliance 12 for receiving signals sent via thecommunication network 18. The receiver 14 can also have a transmitter,whereby signals from the appliance can be transmitted to thecommunication network 18 by the receiver 14 wirelessly.

The remote device 16 can communicate information with and/or respond torequests from the appliance 12 from a remote location, typically outsideof the home or HAN 20. The remote device 16 can include a data storageunit for storing data, such as historical usage or operational data forthe appliance 12 based on information from the receiver 14.

The remote device 16 may comprise one or more server(s) which managesthe appliance's access to a centralized resource or service. Forexample, the remote device 16 may be a server of a utility provider, andmay communicate demand information, such as if the utility wereexperiencing a high or critical demand, or pricing information, such asthe present or future cost of energy. In another example, the remotedevice 16 may be a server of a manufacturer of the appliance 12 or someother third-party, and may communicate energy information similar tothat from a utility provider. While only one remote device 16 is shownin FIG. 1, it should be understood that the system 10 may includemultiple remote devices 16.

The communication network 18 may be a private or public network, and maytypically be a WAN (wide area network) such as the Internet. Similarlythe HAN 20 may be a private or public network, and may typically be aLAN (local area network). The router 22 forwards data between thecommunication network 18 and the HAN 20. The HAN 20 may have a differentcommunication protocol than the communication network 18, in which casethe router 22 or another device (not shown) can translate the data sentbetween the communication network 18 and the HAN 20 between thedifferent communication protocols. The router 22 can be a separatedevice in the HAN 20, or it can be built into the appliance 12 or thedevice 14.

The user display 24 can provide users with access and control of theappliance 12, the device 14, and/or the HAN 20. Through the user display24, a user can monitor and control energy consumption by the appliance12. The user display 24 may, for example, comprise a smartphone, atablet computer, a desktop computer, and a notebook computer. While notshown in FIG. 1, the user display 24 may be coupled with the HAN 20.

Referring to FIG. 2, one embodiment of a controller 30 for the appliance12 is illustrated. The controller 30 controls the operation of theappliance 12 to implement one or more cycles of operation. Thecontroller 30 may be located within the appliance 12, and be operablecoupled with a control panel or a user interface 32 for receivinguser-selected inputs and communicating information to the user. The userinterface 32 may include operational controls such as dials, lights,switches, and displays enabling a user to input commands, such as acycle of operation, to the controller 30, and receive information. Theuser interface 32 is shown as provided on the door 28 of the appliancein FIG. 1. The user interface 32 may, for example, include at least onedisplay 33 and at least one selector or button 35. The display 33 caninclude lights or other discrete indicators with accompanying text, or agraphical user interface, such as touch screen. The button 35 caninclude a push button, switch, or dial on the user interface 32 that auser physically actuates, or a virtual button on a graphical userinterface, such the display 33. Alternatively or in addition, the userdisplay 24 may be used as a user interface 32 for the appliance, and maybe coupled with the controller 30.

Options may be provided for the user to select or control how the system10 or appliance 12 reacts to energy events. Such selections can be madeat the appliance 12, the receiver 14, or through the user display 24.For example, the display 33 or button 35 on the user interface 32 of theappliance 12 may be used to activate one of a power saving setting, amoney saving setting, and an ignore setting of the appliance 12. Thepower saving setting may be a setting that a user can select in order toset the controller 30 to automatically take actions that will minimizethe amount of power that the appliance 12 consumes. The money savingsetting may be a setting that a user can select in order to set thecontroller 30 to automatically take actions that will minimize the costof operating the appliance 12 for the user. The ignore setting may be asetting that a user can select in order to set the controller 30 tooperate without any special regard to the amount of power that theappliance 12 consumes or the cost of operating the appliance 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the controller 30 may be provided with anon-transitory storage medium 34 and a central processing unit (CPU) 36.The non-transitory storage medium 34 may include any suitablecomputer-readable media, with the sole exception being a transitory,propagating signal, one non-limiting example of which includes a memory.The non-transitory storage medium 34 may be used for storingcommunication software which is configured to effect communicationbetween the controller 30 and an external network, such as the HAN 20 orthe communication network 18. The non-transitory storage medium 34 mayalso be used for storing control software that is configured to effectone or more cycles of operation by the appliance 12. Examples, withoutlimitation, of cycles of operation in the case of a dishwasher include:Smart Wash, Pots/Pans, Normal Wash, China/Gentle, Fast Wash, and QuickRinse. The communication and control software can be executed by the CPU36. The non-transitory storage medium 34 may also be used to storeinformation, such as a database or table, and to store data receivedfrom one or more components of the appliance 12 that may be communicablycoupled with the controller 30. The database or table may be used tostore the various operating parameters for the one or more cycles ofoperation, including factory default values for the operating parametersand any adjustments to them effected by the control system or by userinput.

The controller 30 may be operably coupled with one or more components ofthe appliance 12 for communicating with and controlling the operation ofthe component to complete a cycle of operation. For example, in the caseof a dishwasher, the controller 96 may be operably coupled with a heater38 for heating wash liquid during a cycle of operation, a drain pump 40for draining liquid from the treating chamber, a recirculation pump 42for recirculating wash liquid during a cycle of operation, a dispenser44 for dispensing a treating agent during a cycle of operation, one ormore valve(s)s 46 for controlling the flow of liquid or air through thetreating chamber, and one or more sensor(s) 48 to control the operationof these and other components to implement one or more of the cycles ofoperation. Non-limiting examples of a sensor 48 that may be communicablycoupled with the controller 30 include a temperature sensor and aturbidity sensor to determine the soil load associated with a selectedgrouping of dishes, such as the dishes associated with a particular areaof the treating chamber. In the case of other types of home appliances,the controller 30 may be operably coupled with components typical tosuch appliances that are commonly controlled.

The previously described system 10 and appliance 12 provides thestructure necessary for the implementation of a method of the invention.One embodiment of the method will now be described in terms of theoperation of the appliance 12.

Appliances receive energy from a utility or utility provider. The costof that energy fluctuates, sometimes depending on whether there is ahigh demand for energy during a certain time period. Previous energymanagement solutions have attempted to control appliances based on thefluctuating cost or demand. When a cycle of operation is in progress orabout to begin, previous energy management solutions have permitted thecycle to the paused, delayed, and/or scheduled.

Appliances use varying amounts of energy while performing a cycle ofoperation; some activities within a cycle consume more energy thanothers. For example, one high-energy activity performed by appliancessuch as dishwashers and clothes washers is heating water. Othernon-limiting examples of high-energy operations include making ice in arefrigerator, drying clothing on a high heat setting in a clothes dryer,heating an oven to a selected cooking temperature, self-cleaning anoven, and generating steam in a steam appliance. If a cycle of operationin a dishwasher were suspended in response to a demand for energyreduction after a volume of water has already been heated, and duringthe suspension the water cools, the dishwasher would have to reheat thewater again upon resuming the cycle of operation. In such a case,suspending an appliance mid-operation may be less energy efficient andmore costly to a user than allowing the appliance to finish its currentactivity or even the entire cycle of operation.

Embodiments of a method according to the invention function to determinewhether or not an appliance should suspend an in-progress cycle ofoperation, based on a recovery cost for the appliance. In oneembodiment, when an energy event at the utility grid, such as a changein cost or demand, is signaled, a recovery cost for the appliance isdetermined, assuming it will be in operation during the energy event.The recovery cost may be the cost of completing the cycle of operationat a later time and can be based on the duration of the energy event andthe cost of energy before, during, and after the energy event. Therecovery cost may be compared to the cost of completing the cyclewithout interruption, which can be based on the duration of the energyevent and the cost of energy before, during, and after the energy event.If the recovery cost were determined to be less than the cost ofcompleting the cycle without interruption, then the appliance cycle ofoperation may be interrupted during the energy event. On the other hand,if the recovery cost were determined to be greater than the cost ofcompleting the cycle without interruption, then the appliance cycle ofoperation may continue unabated during the energy event. In a home orsystem with multiple appliances, the recovery cost for each appliancecan be determined system-wide, and the system can interrupt allappliances that have a recovery cost less than the cost to continueoperation of the appliance during the energy event. Thus, the overallenergy bills to the user can be minimized. Additional options can beprovided for the user to select or control how the system 10 orappliance 12 reacts to energy events, as discussed in more detail below.

FIGS. 3-7 show flow charts depicting various embodiments of the methodof the invention. It is understood that the embodiments of the methodsshown in the flow charts can be combined in any logical manner, withoutdetracting from the invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart depicting a method 50 of controlling an applianceduring a cycle of operation being performed by the appliance, accordingto one embodiment of the invention. The method 50 may be executed atleast in part by the controller 30 of the appliance during a cycle ofoperation of the appliance 12; in other words, during the execution ofthe control software by the CPU 36. The sequence of steps depicted isfor illustrative purposes only and is not meant to limit the method 50in any way as it is understood that the steps may proceed in a differentlogical order, additional or intervening steps may be included, ordescribed steps may be divided into multiple steps, without detractingfrom the invention.

Generally, in normal operation of the appliance 12, a user first selectsan appropriate cycle of operation via the user interface 32. The cycleof operation may be in progress prior to the start of the method 50. At52, the method 50 may start when a signal is received that indicates anoncoming or current energy event, such as a change in at least oneenergy parameter. One common type of energy resource is electricity, butothers commonly used in appliances include natural gas and water invarious phases.

The energy parameter may take the form of a request or a notification,and may, for example, be an energy reduction request or a change inenergy cost data such as a price increase that applies during a peakevent. An energy reduction request may include a request or demand toreduce the energy usage of the appliance 12, and may specificallyrequest that the appliance 12 be powered off or may include an amount ofenergy used by the appliance 12 that needs to be reduced. Energy costdata indicates the cost or price of energy, and can be a specificamount, such as in the units of dollars ($) per kilowatt-hour (kWh), ora pricing tier having a preset value or range. In either case, theenergy cost data can be formatted in terms of a cost value or a costchange. When formatted in terms of a cost change, for example, theenergy cost data may indicate that the energy rate is increasing by $2per kWh or that the pricing tier will increase by one tier.

The signal may be sent from the remote device 16. In one example, theremote device 16 can be operated by a utility that supplies energy tothe appliance 12. In another example, the remote device 16 can beoperated by a third-party or appliance manufacturer that in turnreceives energy information from a utility. The signal may generatedinternally to the appliance based on a trigger such as a time clock thatregisters a cost change for predetermined hours during the day.

The signal may be received by the receiver 14 and forwarded to thecontroller 30 of the appliance 12. More specifically, the communicationsoftware stored by the non-transitory storage medium 34 and executed bythe CPU 36 of the controller 50 can receive the signal. The router 22may be used as a gateway for communicating the signal between the remotedevice 16 and the receiver 14 via the communication network 18.

The signal can be sent simultaneously when the energy event occurs.Alternatively, the signal can be sent prior to the energy event, and caninclude an indication of when an energy parameter change will occur,such as a date and time. In either case, the signal can include a timeparameter associated with the energy event. The time parameter can beone or more of a start time, and end time, or a duration of the energyevent. Thus, the signal can include an indication of the duration of theenergy event, such as a time period during which an energy parameterchange will be in effect, or an indication of when an energy parameterwill return to its pre-event value, such as a date and time.

At 54, in response to receiving the signal at 52, a recovery cost forthe appliance 12 can be determined. The recovery cost can morespecifically be determined by the controller 50 of the appliance 12. Therecovery cost is the energy cost of interrupting the current cycle ofoperation and completing the cycle of operation at a later time. Thepoint at which the cycle is interrupted can be termed an interruptionpoint for the purposes of discussion herein. The interruption point canbe determined or predicted from information provided by the signal.

The recovery cost can be determined based on the instantaneous runningcost of operating the appliance 12, an estimated cost of operating theappliance 12 up to the interruption point, a historical cost ofoperating the appliance 12 up to the interruption point, or can be basedon an average cost of operating the appliance 12 up to the interruptionpoint.

Generally, the recovery cost can be based on energy cost data and apower requirement associated with the cycle of operation that is inprogress when the signal is received at 52. More specifically, therecovery cost can be based on the cost of energy during the energy eventsignaled at 52 and the power requirement to restart and complete thecycle of operation. A power requirement may be the amount of time andthe rate at which power is used during a cycle of operation. A cycle ofoperation can be broken into different phases or activities, and eachphase or activity can have an associated power requirement. A powerrequirement to restart the cycle of operation is the amount of powerrequired to return the appliance 12 to the interruption point, and canfactor in how long the appliance is interrupted.

The energy cost data can be obtained from a utility or utility providerthat supplies power to the appliance 12 or a manufacturer of theappliance 12. The energy cost data can be sent via the signal receivedat 52, or it can be received separately. For example, the energy costdata can be received in conjunction with an energy event in separatesignal. In another example, the energy cost data can be stored in amemory of the appliance 12, and recalled upon receiving the signal at52. The energy cost data can be programmed into the appliance 12 by themanufacturer, or can be periodically sent to the appliance 12 via thecommunication network 18. For example, a utility provider can billaccording to a set pricing tier, such as having one price during anormal or low demand period, a higher price during a high demand period,and an even higher price during a critical demand period. The pricingtiers can be saved to the memory of the appliance 12, and updated asneeded by the utility provider.

The energy cost data can include a first cost of energy during a firstrate time period, and a second cost of energy during a second rate timeperiod. For example, the first rate time period may be after the energyevent signaled at 52 is complete, and the second rate time period may beduring the energy event signaled at 52. Thus, the second cost may behigher than the first cost. The energy cost data can further include athird cost of energy during a third rate time period, which may bebefore the event signaled at 52. Thus, the second cost may be higherthan the third cost. The first cost may be the same as, higher than, orlower than the third cost.

At 56, a continued operation cost for the appliance 12 can bedetermined. The continued operation cost can more specifically bedetermined by the controller 50 of the appliance 12. The continuedoperation cost is the energy cost of continuing the cycle of operationwithout interruption. The continued operation cost can be based on anestimated cost of operating the appliance 12 from the interruption pointto completion, a historical cost of operating the appliance 12 from theinterruption point to completion, or can be based on an average cost ofoperating the appliance 12 from the interruption point to completion.

Generally, the continued operation cost can be based on energy cost dataand a power requirement associated with the cycle of operation that isin progress when the signal is received at 52. More specifically, thecontinued operation cost can be based on the cost of energy after theenergy event signaled at 52 and the power requirement to complete thecycle of operation. The continued operation cost may also be based onthe cost of energy before the energy event signaled at 52 and the powerrequirement of the portion of the cycle that will already have beencompleted when the energy event begins.

The controller 30 may optionally take additional data into account whendetermining the recovery and continued operation costs, including one ormore of the selected cycle, cycle conditions, user input, data from thesensor 48, geographical location of the appliance 12, and environmentalor ambient conditions surrounding the appliance 12.

At 58, the recovery cost is compared to the continued operation cost.Specifically, the controller 30 may determine if the recovery cost isless than, equal to, or greater than the continued operation cost. Ifthe recovery cost is greater than the continued operation cost, thecycle of operation may be continued at 60. If the recovery cost is equalto the continued operation cost, the cycle of operation may also becontinued at 60. However, a user may be provided with the option ofinterrupting a cycle of operation when the recovery and continuedoperation costs are equal in order to contribute to energy usagereduction on a utility or grid-wide level. Continuing the cycle ofoperation at 60 may comprise continuing the cycle without alteration, orcontinuing the cycle at a reduced power level, such as by deactivatingone or more power-consuming components of the appliance 12.

If the recovery cost is less than the continued operation cost, thecycle of operation may be interrupted at 62. In one example, thecontroller 30 can cause the control software to interrupt the cycle ofoperation on the article in the treating chamber of the appliance 12. Inthe case of the dishwasher, the control software may deactivate one ormore of the heater 38, the drain pump 40, the recirculation pump 42, andthe sensor(s) 48, or any other energy-consuming component. In othercases, the control software may need to open or close the valve(s) 46 oroperate the drain pump 40 for a given time in order to prepare thedishwasher for a period of delay or inactivity.

At 62, interrupting the cycle of operation may include pausing the cycleof operation for a given period of time. The period of time may bedetermined from the signal received at 52. Alternatively, the cycle ofoperation may remain paused until another signal is received, indicatingthat the energy parameter has changed again, at which time the method 50will begin from 52.

Interrupting the cycle at 62 may include interrupting the cycle at itspresent point, or continuing the cycle until an energy-efficientstopping point is reached and then interrupting the cycle. For example,the cycle may be continued until the end of its current activity phaseand then interrupted.

Optionally, when a cycle of operation is interrupted at 62, the method50 can further include scheduling, at 64, the resumption of the cycle ofoperation for a later time. For example, the cycle can be scheduled toresume after the energy event, after a predetermined period of time haslapsed, or when the recovery cost is less than the continued operationcost.

Also provided as an optional action when a cycle of operation isinterrupted at 62 is a notification 66. Specifically, the method 50 canfurther include notifying a user of the appliance 12 that the cycle ofoperation has been interrupted. The notification at 66 can includecommunicating the interruption to the user via the user display 24 orthe user interface 32 of the appliance 12. The notification can includeinformation such as: an identification of the appliance 12, anidentification of the cycle of operation that was interrupted, anidentification of the point or phase at which the cycle of operation wasinterrupted, a cost savings from the interruption, and an indication ofwhen the cycle of operation will resume or be completed. Using the userdisplay 24 as the medium, the notification can comprise sending an emailor a text message to the user. In one example, the email or text messagecan be sent from the remote device 16 to the user display 24 via thecommunication network 18. Using the user interface 32 as the medium, thenotification can comprise displaying the notification to the user on thedisplay 33.

The appliance 12 may be configured to perform the method 50 by default;alternatively, the appliance 12 can be provided with a money savingmode, in which the method 50 is performed, and the cost of operating theappliance 12 is minimized. A user can set the appliance 12 to the moneysaving mode via the user interface 32 or the user display 24. By beingset to save money, the appliance 12 can minimize the utility bills forthe user, without the user having to take an active role in the process.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting an optional method 70 that can be usedto supplement the method 50 of FIG. 3. The method 70 may begin the sameas method 50, with receiving a signal at 52 that indicates an oncomingor current energy event. Next, instead of automatically determining therecovery cost, it may next be determined if the appliance 12 is inoperation, i.e. if a cycle of operation is in progress at 72. If theappliance 12 is not in operation, starting of the appliance 12 may bedelayed at 74 until, for example, the energy event is over. By delayingthe appliance, the appliance 12 may be effectively prevented frombeginning a cycle of operation during the energy event. The user can beprovided with the option of overriding the delay. If the appliance isdetermined to be in operation at 72, then at 75 the method skips to step54 of FIG. 3, and the recovery cost is determined.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart depicting an alternative embodiment of method 50.Steps 52-58 may proceed as described above with respect to FIG. 3.However, at 58, if the recovery cost is less than the continuedoperation cost, it may next be determined if the cycle of operation iscritical at 80. A critical cycle may be one that cannot or should not beinterrupted when in progress, and can be predetermined by themanufacturer of the appliance 12 or the user of the appliance 12. Somenon-limiting examples of critical cycles include a self-clean cycle inan oven and a sanitizing cycle in a dishwasher.

If the cycle is determined to be critical at 80, the cycle of operationis continued at 60. If the cycle is determined to be non-critical at 80,it is next determined at 82 if the appliance is set to ignore energyevents. The appliance 12 may be provided with an ignore mode, in whichcase any energy events are ignored, and the controller 30 is enabled tooperate without any special regard to the amount of power that theappliance 12 consumes or the cost of operating the appliance 12. A usercan set the appliance 12 to the ignore mode via the user interface 32 orthe user display 24. If the appliance 12 is set to ignore energy eventsat 82, the cycle of operation is continued at 60; otherwise it may beinterrupted at 62. It should be noted that the cycle 50 can proceed inany logic order; for example, is also understood that either of thecriticality of the cycle at 80 or the appliance ignore setting at 82 maybe determined before determining the recovery cost at 54, and furtherthat the ignore setting determination at 82 need not be dependent on thecriticality determination at 80, and vice versa.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart depicting another alternative embodiment ofmethod 50. Steps 52-58 may proceed as described above with respect toFIG. 3. However, at 58, if the recovery cost is greater than or equal tothe continued operation cost, it may next be determined if the appliance12 is set to save energy at 84. The appliance 12 can be provided with apower saving mode, in which the controller 30 automatically takesactions that will minimize the amount of power that the appliance 12consumes. A user can set the appliance 12 to the power saving mode viathe user interface 32 or the user display 24. By being set to saveenergy, the appliance 12 can minimize the amount of energy it uses,which will contribute to energy usage reduction on a utility orgrid-wide level. If the appliance 12 is set to save energy at 84, thecycle of operation is interrupted at 62. If the appliance 12 is set tosave energy at 84, the cycle of operation is continued at 60. It shouldbe noted that the cycle 50 can proceed in any logic order; for example,is also understood that the appliance energy setting may be determinedbefore determining the recovery cost at 54.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting an optional method 88 that can be usedto supplement the method 50 of FIG. 3. The method 88 may begin the sameas method 50, with receiving a signal at 52 that indicates an oncomingor current energy event and determining a recovery cost at 54. Next,instead of generally determining a continued operation cost, the method88 will more specifically determine the continued operation cost byfirst determining a normal operation cost at 90, which is the cost ofcontinuing the cycle of operation without interruption in a normal mode,i.e. in the current or default mode of the cycle. The normal operationcost can be based on an estimated cost of operating the appliance 12 inthe normal mode from the interruption point to completion, a historicalcost of operating the appliance 12 in the normal mode from theinterruption point to completion, or it can be based on an average costof operating the appliance 12 in the normal mode from the interruptionpoint to completion.

At 92, the recovery cost is compared to the normal operation cost.Specifically, the controller 30 may determine if the recovery cost isless than, equal to, or greater than the normal operation cost. If therecovery cost is greater than or equal to the normal operation cost, thecycle of operation may be continued at 60, as described above.

If the recovery cost is less than the normal operation cost, thecontinued operation cost is next determined by determining a reducedpower operation cost at 94, which is the cost of continuing the cycle ofoperation without interruption in a reduced power mode. The reducedpower operation cost can be based on an estimated cost of operating theappliance 12 in the reduced power mode from the interruption point tocompletion, a historical cost of operating the appliance 12 in thereduced power mode from the interruption point to completion, or it canbe based on an average cost of operating the appliance 12 in the reducedpower mode from the interruption point to completion. Some non-limitingexamples of reduced power modes include delaying ice making ordefrosting in a refrigerator, air drying (i.e. no heating of air) in aclothes dryer or a dishwasher, and cold washing or rising (i.e. noheating of water) in a clothes washing machine.

If the recovery cost is less than the reduced power operation cost, thecycle of operation is interrupted at 62, as described above with respectto FIG. 3. If the recovery cost is greater than the reduced poweroperation cost, the cycle of operation is continued in the reduced powermode at 98. If the recovery cost is equal to the reduced power operationcost, the cycle of operation may also be continued at 98. However, auser may be provided with the option of interrupting a cycle ofoperation when the recovery and reduced power operation costs are equalin order to contribute to energy usage reduction on a utility orgrid-wide level.

While the invention has been specifically described in connection withcertain specific embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that thisis by way of illustration and not of limitation. Reasonable variationand modification are possible within the scope of the forgoingdisclosure and drawings without departing from the spirit of theinvention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of controlling an appliance during acycle of operation being performed by the appliance, comprising:receiving a signal including at least one of an energy usage reductionrequest and energy cost data; in response to the signal, determining arecovery cost for the appliance, which is the energy cost ofinterrupting the cycle of operation and completing the cycle ofoperation at a later time; determining a continued operation cost forthe appliance, which is the energy cost of continuing the cycle ofoperation without interruption; comparing the recovery cost to thecontinued operation cost; and when the recovery cost is less than thecontinued operation cost, interrupting the cycle of operation.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein receiving the signal comprises receiving thesignal from a utility that supplies power to the appliance.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the signal further includes a time parameterassociated with the at least one of the energy usage reduction requestand the energy cost data.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the energyusage reduction request comprises a request to power off the appliance.5. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy cost data comprises achange in the cost of energy.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein theenergy cost data comprises a first cost of energy during a first ratetime period, and a second cost of energy during a second rate timeperiod.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second cost is higher thanthe first cost
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the recovery cost isbased on the first cost of energy during the first rate time period andthe continued operation cost is based on the second cost of energyduring the second rate time period.
 9. The method of claim 6, whereindetermining a recovery cost for the appliance is further based on apower requirement to complete the cycle of operation and a powerrequirement to restart the cycle of operation,
 10. The method of claim9, wherein determining a continued operation cost for the appliance isfurther based on the power requirement to complete the cycle ofoperation.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the continuedoperation cost comprises determining a normal operation cost, which isthe cost of continuing the cycle of operation without interruption in anormal mode, and determining a reduced power operation cost, which isthe cost of continuing the cycle of operation without interruption in areduced power mode.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein comparing therecovery cost to the continued operation cost comprises comparing therecovery cost to the normal operation cost and comparing the recoverycost to the reduced power operation cost.
 13. The method of claim 12,wherein, when the recovery cost is equal to or greater than the reducedpower operation cost and less than the normal operation cost, continuingthe cycle of operation without interruption in the reduced power mode.14. The method of claim 1, wherein continuing the cycle of operationwithout interruption comprises continuing the cycle of operation in areduced power mode.
 15. The method of claim 1, wherein interrupting thecycle of operation comprises pausing the cycle of operation for a periodof time.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the period of time isincluded in the signal.
 17. The method of claim 1, further comprisingscheduling an interrupted cycle of operation for a later time when therecovery cost is less than the continued operation cost.
 18. The methodof claim 1, further comprising determining if the cycle of operation iscritical, and, when the cycle of operation is determined to be critical,continuing the cycle of operation without interruption regardless of thecomparison of the recovery cost to the continued operation cost.
 19. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising determining if a power savingsetting is active in the appliance, and when the power saving setting isactive, interrupting the cycle of operation upon receiving the signal,regardless of the comparison of the recovery cost to the continuedoperation cost.
 20. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining if an ignore setting is active in the appliance, and whenthe ignore setting is active, continuing the cycle of operation uponreceiving the signal, regardless of the comparison of the recovery costto the continued operation cost.
 21. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising providing access to energy cost data from a utility thatsupplies power to the appliance.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein theenergy cost data is stored in a memory of the appliance.
 23. The methodof claim 1, further comprising notifying a user of the appliance thatthe cycle of operation has been interrupted when the recovery cost isless than the continued operation cost.
 24. The method of claim 23,wherein notifying comprises at least one of emailing or texting theuser.
 25. The method of claim 23, wherein notifying comprises displayinga notification on at least one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, adesktop computer, and a notebook computer.
 26. The method of claim 25,wherein the notification comprises displaying a cost savings, which isthe difference between the recovery cost and the continued operationcost, to the user.
 27. An appliance configured to perform a cycle ofoperation comprising: a treating chamber for receiving an article fortreatment according to the cycle of operation; and a controllerconfigured to implement the cycle of operation on the article in thetreating chamber, the controller comprising: a non-transitory storagemedium; communication software in the non-transitory storage mediumconfigured to effect communication between the controller and anexternal network; and control software in the non-transitory storagemedium configured to execute the cycle of operation; wherein, while thecontrol software executes the cycle of operation and when thecommunication software receives a signal including at least one of anenergy usage reduction request and energy cost data, the controller willdetermine a recovery cost for the appliance, which is the cost ofinterrupting the cycle of operation and completing the cycle ofoperation at a later time, determine a continued operation cost for theappliance, which is the cost of continuing the cycle of operationwithout interruption, and compare the recovery cost to the continuedoperation cost; and wherein, when the recovery cost is less than thecontinued operation cost, the controller will cause the control softwareto interrupt the cycle of operation on the article in the treatingchamber.
 28. The appliance of claim 27, further comprising a userinterface and operably coupled with the controller.
 29. The appliance ofclaim 28, wherein the user interface comprises a display for notifying auser of the appliance that the cycle of operation has been interrupted.30. The appliance of claim 28, wherein the user interface comprises abutton for activating one of: a power saving setting, a money savingsetting, and an ignore setting.
 31. The appliance of claim 27, whereinthe appliance is one of a dishwasher, a refrigerator, a freezer, arange, a stove, an oven, a cooktop, a clothes washing machine, and aclothes dryer.